vegetarian

It’s Wednesday at high noon. A half-dozen food trucks line the parking lot at Talin Market, and they’re ready to serve up more than the usual hot dog. I’m here to sample the goods, beginning with The Chopping Block’s soft fish taco garnished with mango salsa. I wash it down with organic limeade at Make My Lunch, then head to Oz Patisserie’s over-the-top desserts, where I’m handed one of the best crème brûlées I’ve had in town.

Enlightened dining

By Ari LeVaux

Rarely does a restaurant’s name describe its most salient qualities as succinctly as Thai Vegan. Ironically, while the name may turn away some rabid omnivores, many of those may not have even noticed the lack of animal product if they hadn’t been tipped off. More of them still would probably be surprised by how much they like it.

Vegetarian

Tomatillos are good for more than just salsa

By Ari LeVaux

I feel sorry for tomatillos, the way I used to feel for the last kid to get picked for kickball. Tomatillos languish on otherwise empty tables at the end of growers’ markets, often destined for the compost pile because they're nobody’s favorite. It's not their fault. It's just that nobody knows what to do with tomatillos.

Food that’s pho-real

By Ari LeVaux

Albuquerque's Vietnamese population became established in the ’70s, thanks to Air Force marriages and a State Department resettlement program that brought approximately 3,000 South Vietnamese to New Mexico. Today, one in three Asians in Albuquerque is Vietnamese. And so we have an abundance of Vietnamese cuisine in the Duke City, a very fortunate thing for all of us.

Best Tofu

While there are still some out there who have yet to be converted to Team Tofu, there are plenty of us who have, and we know a perfectly done piece of tofu is a magical thing. At Fei’s, everything is vegan, so tofu isn’t the poor stepsister of meat dishes; it’s frikkin’ Cinderella. (EAH)